Method of remodeling milk cans



Aug. 4, 1953 J. A. HOPWOOD METHOD OF REMODELING MILK CANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 4, 1949 l-IL IN V EN TOR. JbH/v 4. H01 W0 0 0 TTOEA/E Aug. 4, 1953 J. A. HOPWOQD METHOD OF REMOIQELING MILK CANS 2 "Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 4, 1949 slllllllll J Y w WW m 0 7m M 7 Patented Aug. 4, 1 953 IT ims 2,6473302 n METHOD O REMODELING lVIILK oAlysf I John A. Hopwood; -Westfield, N. J., assignor to 1 j Monitor Process Corporation, Jersey Cityi-N.'J., w

e a corporation of New Jersey Application January 4, 1949, seriai'Na'sacss 1 l This invention is an improvement upon'my prior United States Letters Patent No. 2,292,836 and No. 2,354,995. These prior patents, as well as the present invention, relate to milk delivery oans wherein milk is delivered through a milk 3 delivery tube'adapted to cooperate with an open- As cans are generally made, they comprise a R 'can body having a concave bottom which may-or may not be integral with the side wall of the can, but, in any event, such cans are providedaround their lower margin with a reinforcing ring of relatively heavy metal, soldered, welded or other wise secured to the side wall of the can and projecting below the bottom to take the wearin' cident to the use of the can. As the cans are generally manufactured, they have an open top but are otherwise imperforate. a'can for side delivery, it is necessary to provide an opening in the side wall of the can, sufliciently close to the bottom, so that all of the milk may be drawn from the can through dispensing means associated with such opening, when the can is standing in upright position;

My said prior patents provide a method of accomplishing this result and a can capableof such use, but the inventions of said patents neces} sitated the slitting of the bottom of the can adjacent the discharge opening, the resulting slit being covered at the under side of the bottom by a plate affixed to the bottom of 'the can through the use of conventional soft solder, i. e., solder embodying substantially equalparts of lead and tin. At the present time there appears to be a feeling on the part of some health authorities that contact between fluid milk andthe lead component of the conventional soft solder may possibly have some deleterious effect upon the 'milk. In my prior patents where the bottom of the can was: slit to form the channel and the reinforcing plate was secured in placeby soft solder, a considerable amount of such solder was exposed to contact with the milk. The present invention makes it possible to overcome the objection to slitting the bottom of the can and also makes it possible to soft solder all exterior portions of the can without such soft'solder coming into con tact with the milk in the can. 7 l

' 3 Claims-" (Cl. 29 -1482) To adapt such l .Figure 6 is,'a.fragmenta1 .elevation looking from In carrying outthis invention, the bottomfof the can is depressed to form a channel leading to the side opening of the can so that all of the milk can be drained from the can; The'forn'iation of this'channel, however, is accomplished without slitting the, bottomof the can and the packing cup"throu'gh" which "the milk delivery tube'isadapted to extend intothe'can'is so'positioned with respect to the channelas to deliver all ofthe milk from 'thecan} In the preferred form of the invention all parts interior of the can andcomprised in the present invention are secured in place by a tinning, or brazingoperation, while the exteriorjparts"of thecanfmay be soft soldered as before without 'thel lead of such soft solder coming'in'to contact with the c o'n- A plate is usedon the "under side of the bottom to reintorce the channel and this'plate'm'ay be conveniently secured in place by soft solder and soft solder'may be also employecl to secure the cup to'the'exterior ofthe side wall of the can or to the reinforcing rin'g'through which it generally passes. By this means the milk is safeguarded against lead contamination, yet the parts which enter into the structure are firm ly united to one another withoutjcra'cksor crevices for the lodgement of'bact-e'ria or other 'foreign tt u I v Features of the invention, other than" those adverted'to, will be apparent from the herein-'- after detailed description and appended claims; when readin conjunction with the accompany s drawings- ,i The accompanying drawings illustrateone practical formof the invention and one exem plary method of producing the same, but the disclosure therein made is to be understood as illustrative, only, and not asdefining the limits of the invention. v r

Figures 1"; f2' and3 inclusive are fragmental perspective sections showing the lower portion of one side of' a canin'section'andillustrating the consecutive steps o'f'the; method ojf r'emodel ing these parts to, permit the installation of the cup which will serve as a mbuntingfor-a-draW- off 'or'delivery tube; i 'j "Figure 4' is a perspectiveview of a r einforcin'g plate adapted to underlie thebottomof th'e can adjacent the discharge opening; V f 5 Figure 5 is'a fragmental underneathview "of a portion of 'thebottom' of the can with-thereinforcing ring of the can shown in"horizontal'section, this section being taken substantially in the plane'of the line 5+5 of Figure-71 r 3 the outside of the can of the method.

Figure '7 is a vertical fragmental section through one lateral half of the can at the discharge opening showing the can completely remodeled accordin to the present invention.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, the drawin s show a can wherein the side wall I of the body of the can and the dished bottom 2 thereof are made integral or welded to one another, so that these two parts are, in effect, integral. The reinforcing ring is shown at 3 and it is generally welded about the lower portion of the side wall I to extend sufficiently below the bottom 2 to preclude contact between the bottom and any flat surface on which the can may rest.

In carrying out the invention in its preferred form, a portion of the side wall of the can and the juxtaposed portion of thering '3 are operated upon by a barrel saw, to produce a circular cut 4. the lowermost portion of which is substantially tangent to the horizontal plane of the lowermost portion of thebottom 2. This cut is made so as to extend entirely through the ring 3 and through the side wall I of the can, as shown in Figure 1, butnot to extend appreciably into the bottom 2 of the can.

After this circular cut is made, the cut-out portion of .the side wall and ring are still held inv place, as shown in Figure 1,. by the attachment of the. severed portion ofthe side wall to the bot- "tom 2 of the can. This connection is next severed by means of a cut 5 indicated in dotted lines in F gure 1 and when this cut is accomplished, it serves to shear the bottom of the can adjacent the side wall, so that the portions of these parts which have been circumscribed by the barrel saw, will fall away leaving the parts incondition shown in full lines in Figure 2. This operation leaves a portion of the bottom of the can extending chordally across the opening Gthrough the ring and side wall, as clearly appears in Figure 2.

The next step in the method consists in depressing thatchordal extending portion of the bottom, by means of suitable dies, as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2, so as to form a channel 8 extending from substantially the center of the can to a point adjacent the inner surface of the ring 3, the curvature of the channel being such as to substantially correspond to the arcuate shape of the lower portion of the opening 6 as illustrated in Figure 3. r The can is then inverted and there is placed against the under surface of the bottom :a reinforcing plate I which is so shaped as to substantially conform to the undersurfacesof the bottom and the channel 8 which. has been formed therein as stated. This plate has an extension 9 adaptedto project into the, opening '6 and at the base of this extension are shoulders ID to engage with the inner surfaceof the ring 3 and thusfacilitate accuratepositioning of the plate. After the plate has been placed in position, both the plate and the bottom of the can are acted upon between conforming dies so as to conform the plate and the overlying portion of the bottom into exact conformity. This having been accomplished, the plate may be tacked to the bottom, as-indicated at H, by soft solder to hold itin position during stepspresently described.

The cup l2, which is'generally in the form of a sheet metal stamping, is next passed through the opening -6 into the position shown in Figures 6 and 7- and 1s tacked in place, e. g., by soft'solder,

with the parts at one stage 4 as indicated at l3, to temporarily hold it in position.

The can is next returned to upright position and there is applied to the interior of the can fillets l4 and I5 which serve to secure the cup I! firmly in place and produce leak tight joints. At these-me time-the fillets eliminate all cracks,

crevices or sharp corners and produceaperfect- 1y smooth interior of the can at the discharge opening. These fillets may in practice be formed from conventional soft solder without departing from this invention, but in order to protect the contentsof the .can from lead contamination, it is preferred to use tin, a brazing compound or welding metal for this purpose. In practice I employ substantially pure tin, as I find that it is most acceptable to health authorities generally. When using tin. a brazing compound or welding metal, considerable heat is required to form the necessary bond and a torch is generally used for this purpose, butinasmuch as the ring 3 is quite heavy and the heat is localized I have found that adequate heat may be applied in a localized mannet as not to release the tacking H or iii.

The can is then again inverted and the plate 1 is thereupon permanently secured in place. Brazing, welding, tinning or soft solder may be employed in this connection, but it is convenient and thoroughly practical to use soft solder. Fillets IG of such material, shownin Figure'l, are formed during this operation so as to impart to the structure a smooth exterior without sharp corners or crevices in which foreign matter may lodge. Next lug blanks II are associated with the cup, as indicated in Figures 6 and 7, to produce attaching lugs! for the delivery tube and after these lugs have been brought into position, the position, the cup and lugs are permanently secured in place by brazing, tinning, welding or soft soldering. Inasmuch as these materials are isolated from contact with the contents of the can, ploy soft solder for this purpose. Fillets l9, shown in Figure 7, may be formed during attachment of the cup to give a smooth exterior.

It will further be noted that while soft solder may be used on the exterior parts of the can, the use of soft solder is preferably eliminated in the interior of the can. Brazing compounds, welding or tinning have been referred to as examples of lead-free materials used. I consider these materials, for the purpose of the present invention, as equivalents to tin as used in this connection and in the claims reference to tin or tinning is to be so construed.

By practicing the method which I have described, the side delivery of milk from the can is provided for in the preferred form of the invention without exposing the milk interior of the can to any real or supposed deteriorating effects of soft solder or the lead thereof. .A stronger construction is provided than results from the methods or constructions of my prior patents and the slitting of the bottom is entirely avoided.

In the method as hereinbefore. described I have set forth the preferred sequence of steps in car.- ryingout the method of this invention, but I wish it understood that this particular sequence of the method steps may be varied without departing from the invention.

The foregoing detailed description sets forth the invention in its preferred practical form, but

the invention is to be understood as fully com-- mensurate with the appended claims. Having thus fully described the invention-what I find it convenient and economical to em-' I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Method of remodeling a milk can having a side wall, a dished bottom and a reinforcing ring, for the delivery of milk through said side wall adjacent said bottom, which comprises the following steps: cutting through the reinforcing ring a circular opening the lowermost portion of which is substantially tangent to the horizontal plane of the lowermost portion of the bottom of the can, making in the side wall of the can an arouate cut registering with the juxtaposed portion of said circular opening in the reinforcing ring, making a chordal out along the juncture of the side wall and bottom to connect the opposite ends of said arcuate cut to cut away that portion of the side wall which registers with the opening in the ring, depressing that portion of the bottom which is juxtaposed with the ring opening with out radially slitting said bottom to form a channel from substantially the center of the can to and conforming with the lower portion of the ring opening, inserting into said opening from the exterior of the can a discharge tube mounting cup, securing the cup in place interiorly of the 25 can to the side wall and bottom of the can to produce an impervious joint between the cup and the opening, applying a reinforcing plate beneath the channel in the bottom of the can, and securing said plate and cup to the can exteriorly of the latter.

2. Method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cup is secured interiorly of the can by applying fillets of tinning material to the cup and to the side wall and bottom of the can.

3. Method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cup is secured interiorly of the can by applying fillets of tinning material to the cup and to the side wall and bottom of the can, and securing the cup and reinforcing plate exteriorly of the can by soldering them in place externally of the can.

JOHN A. I-IOPWOOD.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 984,921 Donnell Feb. 21, 1911 1,013,810 Peacock Jan. 2, 1912 2,292,886 Hopvvood .1 Aug. 11, 1942 2,354,995 Hopwood Aug. 1,- 1 944 

